Chapter Two: Holiday Part 1
Eren awoke to the sound of shuffling; she opened her eyes slowly to take in her surroundings. Her fuzzy vision slowly focusing on the dark haired figure crouched and facing away from her. She let out a quiet and content sigh as she stretched beneath the ruched plum duvet, reluctantly sitting up and pushing the covers off of her body. Shivering from contact with the colder air, she turned her body and hopped off the bed, pushing her bare feet into Mikasa's unused slippers and hurrying out of the dorm room and down the hall to the floor's shared community bathroom.
Returning to the dorm room more awake, she walked over and sat on Mikasa's side of the study desk, languidly offering a "Good morning," to Mikasa, who was still kneeling between the two beds to pack up more of her belongings. Mikasa turned to Eren, smiled and returned the greeting with a bit more fervor than her barely conscious friend.
While Mikasa finished packing up her essentials, Eren lazily looked around her friend's dorm room. She had slept in Mikasa's roommates bed, her name was Krista, a quiet and petite little blonde with an extremely sweet disposition. Krista went home after the first two days of exams, since she was one of the unfortunate yet oddly lucky souls that had all their finals packed into the first two days of exam week. When Mikasa mentioned that Eren would be most likely be staying a night or two before the university shut down for the holidays, Krista gladly offered to leave her own toiletries and bedding for Eren to use, since she didn't really need them back home.
Eren's eyes wandered over to Mikasa's neatly made bed, ice blue with white polka dots and silver and black throw pillows for flair and style. She smiled to herself, remembering that she picked out the round black velvet one with faux jewels in the center of it. Eren got to her feet and walked over to Krista's, now messy bed, and began to fix it back into its original, pristine condition before going over to her own suitcase and picking out something to wear for the day before she went to the party. Grabbing her toothbrush and a few other toiletries, she headed back out of the room and down the hall to the community bathroom again, all the while thinking of what she wanted to eat when they met up with Armin for brunch.
The time was 5:30 PM, displayed in broken black digital text across a cobalt blue screen on the black alarm clock that sat on a little night stand in between the two twin beds. Armin was already dressed in his dark gray suit and navy shirt; the suit jacket hung in Mikasa's closet nook while he adjusted his tie in the long mirror attached to the door. Eren sat in Krista's chair on her side of the study desk, while Mikasa sat on her own side, both girls doing their makeup.
Mikasa expertly finished up her left eye and quickly went to work on her right one to give it the same brown smoky effect. The makeup tutorials she watched earlier in the day with Eren all suggested using false eyelashes, but neither she nor Eren deemed them necessary. Nothing a few extra coats of mascara couldn't replicate. Eren decided to go for a simple but classic black cat eye with a little bit of shimmery sparkle on her lower lid and a little white on the inside of her eyes to make them pop. Both of the girls turned to Armin and asked for his opinion before they turned to each other for one final look over and then moved on to their hair and accessories. By the time all the little details were complete and the trio was heading out of the door to meet-up with their friend Marco, who offered to drive them all to the party together, the little black alarm clock displayed 6:25 PM.
On the ride to the Chemistry Department Head's home, Dr. Pixis according to Armin, Eren finally got to hear about the supposed 'date' Mikasa found for her. He was tall, fairly athletic and most girls considered him to be handsome, though he had oddly colored hair, the roots a dark brown while the length was dyed blonde. Eren laughed to herself imagining how ridiculous the guy sounded and was jokingly scolded by Mikasa, "Eren, you should be nice to him," she paused a moment as she smiled for the next statement, "Jean has a hard time getting along with girls, he's hard headed and has a bit of temper." She let a little laugh escape her tastefully glossed lips, "You two should get along perfectly."
Eren gave Mikasa an indignant huff and stuck her tongue out half-heartedly. Armin chuckled and Marco looked into rear view mirror briefly to offer a smile before looking back down to the road. Eren leaned her head against the headrest and Mikasa flicked her on the wrist, "Eren, you're going to mess up your hair if you lean back like that."
Eren pursed her lips and leaned forward a little, allowing just her back to rest against the seat while her head was lifted a few centimeters from the headrest. "Better?" She asked raising a challenging eyebrow and crossing her arms.
"Much."
The girls stared at each other for a moment before bursting out in laughter at their childish actions. It was then that they noted the deceleration of Marco's red Sienna and they looked out of the windows to see the massive houses that lined the street they were currently being driven down. One house had a circle driveway made out of, what appeared to marble, but Eren could barely tell from the dim lighting that the street lamp offered. Her eyes widened at the sheer size of the home, which she guessed was at least three stories high. The only other details she was able to make out were the two giant and imposing stone lions that stood at the entrance of the home. The next home seemed even grander, if that was possible. It had a large water fountain with a female shaped figure in the center; the fountain was surrounded by a bed of winter shrubs, and it lay in the middle of a cobblestone driveway. The home behind the fountain appeared to be very light in color, all Eren was able to make out were a few detailed archways and some pillars.
The car slowed even more, as Marco pulled up a curbside and then parked. Eren and Mikasa exited through the sliding door, Armin taking Mikasa's hand to help her out and Marco following in suit with Eren. The group walked towards the Doctor's home, perhaps grandest of all the homes they'd seen thus far, Eren's mouth fell agape in awe.
Her wide emerald orbs took in the grandeur of the outside of the home, a simple cobblestone pathway leading up to the entrance. A large marble balcony laid over the doorway, two giant white pillars stood about three yards out from a small three tiered stone stair path, with two smaller white pillars settled at the top of the stairs. A few feet past the stairs was a pair of ornately designed doors with two large rose designed stained glass panels on either side of the double doors. A large bronze encased light, hung just above the entrance to light the way into the house. Two small marble lion statues sat atop the stairs, as if guarding the outside entryway to the home. The house itself was made of large bricks, with lighter bricks making a pattern on the corners of the home while darker bricks made-up the majority of the structure. Two circle windows and two larger arched windows framed the balcony and the entryway. Green ivy grew along the sides of the structure, giving it an antique look.
A small sign that read 'Come On In' in neat pen marks was placed on one of the handles to the double doors. The trio and Marco entered through the doors all pausing a moment to take in the interior. A wide gold-carpeted staircase greeted them as they walked through the doors, closing them behind them as they went further in. There was a large rose shaped emblem inlaid on the marble of the floor. To the left of the stair case was a large sitting area, white and gold with a few pops of red and green decorating the room. To the right was a hallway where the faint sound of music and voices could be heard coming from further down the hall.
The group, lead by Armin, walked down the hallway and into another open area which held the kitchen, a dining area, and yet another sitting room. The center of the room held a large 10 foot Christmas tree, decorated expertly with gold and burgundy ribbons, soft white lights and gold, white, and burgundy ornaments, topped with a large red rose with ribbons streaming down the sides all the way to the white marble floor.
Eren felt under dressed in her simple and fitted black sequined dress, plain sheer dark hose and black patent leather heels. She absentmindedly reached up and pulled on a little curl of hair that framed her face. Mikasa had curled a few pieces and left her bangs split down the center in the natural part on her face. She also helped her with the rest of her hair. In the back, Eren's hair was divided in three heart shaped sections, with a loose fish tail braid running through the center of each section from the top all the way to the tie at the end. Each piece of hair that made up the large heart shaped sections was neatly braided into the fish tail, and little pearled hair pins were pushed over the junctions.
Mikasa's hair was left down; her bangs remained straight while the rest of her shoulder length tresses were given a slight wave for more movement and flair. A small silver beret was added to push back some hair over her right ear, exposing the pretty silver studs Eren picked out for her the previous night. Armin's hair was tied back with a navy ribbon, to match Mikasa's dress.
As the group went further into the room, admiring the decor and design of the home, they were greeted by an older woman with long, elegantly styled white hair that reached down to the start of her waist. She was a petite and handsome woman with bright, yet somewhat tired blue eyes. Doctor Pixis' wife. She walked over to them and welcomed them, showing them around the party area and welcomed them to help themselves to any refreshments that they might like. She also said when more people arrived that she would show them to their 'humble' ballroom so those who wished to dance could do so without worrying about bumping into anything.
Eren giggled to herself after hearing the word 'humble', thinking, 'nothing in this neighborhood fits that description.'
Mikasa drifted away from the group for a moment to talk to a young man, one who looked strikingly similar to her earlier description in the car…that could only be Jean. Eren thought, 'Hmm, he reminds me of something,' she narrowed her eyes for a moment of concentration then brightened up slightly thinking, 'Ah! Yes, he looks a like a horse.' She laughed quietly to herself before sighing audibly and then putting on her best fake smile as Mikasa guided the horse-faced menace over to their small circle.
"H-hi!" Jean stammered, face lightly flushed, as he took in Eren's appearance. "My name is Jean…nice to finally meet you…" he awkwardly stuck his hand out to Eren, his body rigid with nerves.
Fake smile still plastered on her face, Eren reached out to unenthusiastically shake his clammy hand. "Eren," she completed his sentence, "and it's nice to meet you too Jean."
A few awkward moments later and the group was finally seated in the finely furnished living space next to the kitchen. Chattering away about the semester and occasionally pausing their conversations to greet new arrivals and invite them into their conversation. Eren was actually beginning to enjoy her time with her childhood friends and newly met acquaintances. She hoped that she'd see more of them when the next semester started; Rose University was a fairly small school, with an undergraduate class of about 3,000, so the odds were considerably higher than many other schools like Maria which had an undergraduate class of around 10,000.
After an hour or so had passed, the party room had filled considerably more with a few stranglers coming or leaving, all in all there were about 60 people in the room; many of them staff members with their families and professors at the university. From what Eren could tell, there were only about 20 students. At this point, Mrs. Pixis came out and announced that those who wished to dance, or wanted a little more space to move around, could follow her to the ballroom. Several couples left to follow her, including Armin and Mikasa, and a tall blonde guy named Reiner and his hilariously short date Annie. Most of the other couples that followed weren't students.
Eren took in the remainder of the crowd, some children and a few older people, some students huddled in a corner, and a group of neatly dressed professionals near the bar. Jean wanted to dance with Eren, but she said she wasn't feeling up to it just yet and opted to sit and talk more with her new acquaintances. Jean was blabbing on about how much weight he could lift, or something, at this point Eren didn't really care anymore, her eyes wandering over to the group of sharply dressed professionals conversing with Dr. Pixis.
There was one very tall man, handsome, blonde, and sharply dressed. Another taller blonde man with a neatly kept mustache and his arm around the waist of a short haired blonde woman. A brunette woman with a messily done bun and, what appeared to be a beaded chain attached to her glasses, she was very animated, it looked as if she did most of her talking with her hands. To her left was another man, from the way his feet barely touched the floor, Eren could only assume he was short. He had a sleek black suit on, with a red dress shirt. He was turned away so Eren wasn't able to see what tie he paired with the look, but she was almost sure that it had silver in it, she guessed that from the silver cufflinks she was just barely able to see when lifted his arm to drink. He also had a peculiar hold on his cup. Interesting. As she continued to study the group, the shorter man in particular, she realized that he seemed familiar for some reason. He obviously wasn't a student, if his finely tailored suit could speak for him, and he was sitting conversing with what looked like professors at the university.
She continued staring intently at the back of the dark haired males head, completely blocking out Jean's mumbling. She recognized him. But from where? She was so stuck in her own thoughts that she didn't notice the handsome blonde man give her a questioning look, nor did she notice when he tapped the subject of her musings and pointed to her. She did however register the incessant tapping on her shoulder of her 'date' for the night; she turned her head away from the short man and asked, "What?" to Jean.
He turned crimson again and said with a stutter, "Y-your hair i-is really pretty!"
Eren stared at him, processing his words for a moment before replying, with a genuine smile, "Thank you, Mikasa fixed it for me."
The others in their group laughed and poked more fun at Jean for his embarrassment when talking to Eren. She quickly turned her attention back to the bar, only to find that the short man had left the bar stool. She looked around the room, trying to find where he'd wandered off to before Jean interrupted her thoughts again. "E-Eren!" She sighed and turned back to Jean with a small smile as he continued, "Would you like to dance now?"
"Sure, why not." She offered her hand to him as she got off the sofa she had been lounging on and added, "I'm tired of sitting anyway."
He guided her, along with a few others, down the hall to the ballroom. Eren's eyes widened again at the sight before her, the wooden floor had a double rose design with thorns spreading out from each rose, the design painted with silver, white and red. The ballroom walls to the left side were floor to ceiling mirror, while the rest of the walls were covered in beige and white damask wallpaper.
A steady tango tune with a tang added in from an electric guitar was playing, the lyrics were sung beautifully in Spanish. Eren watched Mikasa and Armin dancing to the tune and smiled to herself, wishing she knew how to tango. The only dance they'd had time to teach her was a basic waltz and the beginnings of what could be called a foxtrot.
Jean pulled her along onto the floor, despite her protests and insistence that she didn't know how to do the proper dance to the song; he simply smirked and pulled her close to him with a firm grip on her waist. He began with a slow and simple box step, gradually getting up to tempo with the song. They continued this way until it ended and the next song began soon after. This was a steady waltzing song, with a trumpets, flutes and symbols in harmony with the many violins and cellos to keep the time. Jean and Eren danced a simple waltz, Jean getting a bit too excited and confident with his grip on Eren as a his hand began to slide a bit further down her waist, approaching the curve of her hip before settling on her rump. Eren intended to give him a few more steps to correct his apparent hand slippage, however she quickly realized that it was accidental when he gave her cheek a firm squeeze. Eren promptly stepped on his foot and backed away from him and out of his grasp as he clutched his, now throbbing, appendage.
She stormed towards the entrance to the ballroom, intent on leaving Jean for making an ass of himself, 'Horse-face, more like ass-face' Eren thought to herself. She wandered out and down the wrong side of the hallway, ending up back in the front of the home after getting turned around for a short period of time. She recognized the familiar gold-carpeted stairwell and curiosity took the better of her.
She wandered up the stairwell, hoping to find the entrance to the grand balcony which overlooked the rest of the beautiful homes and mansions that lined the streets of this neighborhood. After reaching the top of the staircase, she turned and saw the double doors leading outside directly across from where she currently stood. She walked around the golden railed edge of the second floor to the bronze framed doors and pushed open one door, hoping it was unlocked, though she wasn't paying enough attention to her surroundings to notice that the door was already cracked.
She wandered out onto the balcony and practically ran over to the stone railing, emerald eyes sparkling with excitement as she looked over the edge at all the other homes now coming into her view. She smiled and began spinning around the balcony, pretending as if she was a princess in a grand floor length gown being twirled around by a lord or prince who she imagined lived in one of the small mansions surrounding her. All the while, she did not notice the slight shadow leaning against the entrance off to the corner. That is, not until said shadow chuckled at her childish, but endearing display.
Eren froze, eyes wide with surprise and a bit of fear, as she looked for the source of the sound. "H-hello…who… who's there?" She questioned weakly.
"Just another bored soul unfortunate enough to be dragged to this grand soirée." Came the amused reply. The voice was smooth, crisp, and deep. The owner of this voice remained in the shadows as Eren's eyes darted across the expanse of the balcony.
"C-come out to where I can see you," she answered wearily, "if this is some kind of joke, it's not funny." What she got in response was another hearty chuckle and a "Fine, just don't piss yourself… brat."The man walked out from his corner and Eren felt her eyes widen again, this time in shock and acknowledgment.
"Wait… I recognize you…?" Eren said as though it were a question.
The man looked over to her, walking closer and raising a brow, "So what?" he paused, coming closer, stopping only a foot or so away from Eren, who instinctively backed herself up into the stone railing. "Do you expect me to be impressed because a clumsy brat like you remembers the face of the person who saved her face from being, oh how did you put it, 'busted up'." He said the last part in air quotes as he smirked at her.
"You!" Eren said as she remembered the night before more clearly, she was so embarrassed that she really didn't remember the man's features too clearly. But, as she was looking at him, she did remember how handsome he really was, the way his hair fell neatly to the side of his face, his sharp light eyes, the definition of his jaw line…
"See something you like kid?" The handsome man questioned.
Eren realized she had been caught staring and she ripped her gaze away immediately, feeling her face burn and praying that he couldn't see her face as well as she could see his. "No sir." She answered timidly. "Sorry for staring." She turned around and hid her heated cheeks in her hands.
The man approached further, resting his own arms on the stone ledge no more than a foot away from where Eren rested hers. They stood there, silence enveloping them for several more minutes, as Eren gradually got over her embarrassment and went back to admiring the houses and then to the stars from her new vantage point. She almost forgot that the man was there. Almost. She shivered slightly, but tried to ignore the chill in favor of admiring the view a bit longer.
He spoke up, "So… do you have a name kid?"
She looked over to him, green eyes darkened by the night to a dark jade color, slight surprise evident in her features before she looked back up at the stars and answered, "It's Eren." She paused, then added, "Eren Yeager, what about you sir?" She looked back over to him, his eyes staring straight ahead as he answered, "Levi."
She turned back, this time, looking down at the street and smiled as she repeated to herself, "Levi huh."She shivered again, but still refused to acknowledge it. She didn't really mind the cold too much; besides, the atmosphere was more than worth it. It was like they were the only two who existed, alone in the large grand home. It was them, the sky full of stars and the little mansions that surrounded them.
Eren was so caught in her thoughts and daydreams that she didn't notice Levi push himself off of the stone pillars and shrug off his suit jacket. He walked up behind her and placed the warm jacket around her shivering frame, startling her.
"Don't stay out all night brat, you might catch a cold."He had a small smile on his face as he walked back into the home to rejoin his colleagues who were most likely questioning his whereabouts. He turned back and looked at Eren, giving a small wave when she shouted at him, "I'm twenty, so stop calling me a brat!"
Eren flushed and wrapped the jacket a bit closer around her torso. It was warm and smelled faintly of lavender and cologne. A comfortable and light scent, not overpowering like Jean's cheap musk that he probably sprayed all over everything he owned. She hummed quietly to herself as she watched a few cars pass down the street and then looked back up to the sky. She thought about returning to her friends but decided that she would like to savor the quiet serenity of the balcony for a bit longer.